Week7- Late Adulthood/Death and Spirituality-Journet

    

     In Chapter 11 Late Adulthood, we learn about the key aspects of physical development among the elderly.   The biological changes are easier to identify.  The graying of the hair which by the way I have had gray hairs since my mid twenties.  Thickening of nails and the eye sight starts be affected. Wrinkles in the skin and yellow teeth are noticeable.  The skin also starts looking very different.  Reaction time starts to slow down as people. People in late adulthood start experiencing hearing loss and their bones start becoming brittle.  In this age the effects of disease is more noticeable.  diseases such as heart disease, cancer and stroke are usually embedded in this stage of life.   The way a person reacts to stress is different as we age.  Stress can have a more detrimental affect on the elderly than it does on someone who is in early or middle age.  Many people live with pain and maybe taking many types of medications to regulate their health.  Some become dependent on these medications and or may start using alcohol to deal with depression.  

      Both of my parents are in this stage in life.  My mom is 73 years old and lives pain free.  Thank God.  She does however take different types of medication that help regulate her body.  She has made many healthy changes in the way she eats that the doctor has removed three medications from her list.  She drinks one homemade green juice daily.  We buy her groceries and limit he sugar and fat intake.  Because she has been doing so well she was taken off of her cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure medication.  She was never fully diagnosed with diabetes but was placed on metmorfine to help her slightly irregular sugar levels.  Diet has helped tremendously,  She doesn't go out alone because of fear of falling or getting hurt.  She makes simple meals and prepares coffee but no longer make huge meals that involve the stove.  She has been overweight most of her life and isnt very active. She is however very social with the tenants in her senior building and often calls family and friends.  My dad on the other hand has always been fit and ran marathons.  He still suns 5ks and walks alot.  Him and his wife do have a food business in Mexico and are constantly on the go.  He is 72 years old and has not been diagnosed with any major illnesses either.  He is very active and has recently started taking medication for arthritis.  Actually was helping take care of his dad who recently (3months ago) died at the age of 96.   

       

         I believe that the elderly are very important to society.  They are full of wisdom and knowledge.  They can be instrumental in the family.  I didnt have the pleasure of growing up knowing any of my grandparents.  However, i make sure that my kids visit with their grandparents very often.  

      In chapter 12 Death and Dying we learn about the role of death and that there are 4 types of death.

      Their is the clinical death, brain death, biological death and social death.   Death usually happens at the end of late adult hood,  It was not always the case.  Before we had these medical advancements and certain medications.  Death would affect all age groups.  It was common to see children dying of diesase.  Now that we have medications and all of these medical advancements the death rate has gone down.  Children do not die as often here in the U.S. 

  

       When people die the survivors go through a process of grief.  it is important that people find closure following the death of a loved one.  In this chapter we learn that there are different types of grieving.  Delayed grief is when the process of grieving doesn't happen right away.  Later on however something may trigger the grieving process for that person a week, month or years later.  When I was 11 years old my brother Bobby committed suicide when he was only 17 years old.  I don't remember understanding the severity of his death right away.  It took about a few months later for me to realize that he was gone for ever and that I would never see him again.  I remember crying uncontrollably and writing him a letter.

      In distorted grief a person may experience symptoms that the deceased had prior to dying.  If a person died of lung cancer and cough a lot.  The surviving son may experience uncontrollable coughing and ask the doctor to examine him for lung cancer. Complicated grief can last a long time and can trigger an onset of an illness that may result in death.  This is common in widowers.

    

        The chapter touched on death with dignity.  It is becoming harder to see the lines between normal death and suicide with the medically assisted deaths going on.  Isn't it the same if someone chooses not to be resuscitated if they stop breathing or their heart stops beating.  I believe people should have a choice. I am a Christian woman and I know that by saying this I wont always have the popularity vote.  Its kind of when we take our pets to the doctor and they are living with pain.  We sometimes choose to have them put to sleep(death) so they may no longer suffer.  I believe people that are terminally ill should also have the same choice why go through the whole process of pain and suffering and putting our family members through it as well. Just as we saw on the film with Becki Hawkins some people are ready to transition and live pain free.  They choose to not be resuscitated.  I understand that this is totally different than lethally injecting oneself knowing that the only outcome is death.  I feel people should have the choice if they know that they are terminally ill.  Their quality of life should matter and not just the quantity of life.      What changed my opinion on this issue was watching 29 year old Brittany Maynard fighting for her life and death with dignity. Here is a link if you are interested in learning more about her.

     Death with Dignity

     Changing topics, I found it very interested that the top regret that people had right before dying was not pursuing their education.  I guess I'm on a good path so that this will not be one of my deathbed regrets.  I believe that when we face death we don't worry about nonsense as much.  A lot of what we consider important becomes trivial.  Spending time with loved ones is valuable.  Creating good and fun memories even those that may bend the rules seem more significant.  I guess if we all lived as if we were facing death we would make different more meaningful choices in life.  Kind of like what like Rancy Pausch is trying to teach us in "The Last Lecture."